Unexplored Destinations in South Asia – Antara River Cruises
India holds many secrets. Unexplored, mysterious, far from the tourist trail, there are places, cultures and people that can change the way you look at the world.
Antara River Cruises reveals such hidden treasures of heritage, history, nature and more through river cruises, extraordinary journeys of discovery for the global traveller.
Bhitarkanika National Park: Nature’s Splendour
In the south-eastern Indian state of Odisha lies the world’s second largest mangrove forest. Meaning ‘inner jewel’ in Odia, it was created to be the private hunting ground of the kings of Kanika. Now a protected conservation area, Bhitarkanika National Park is a little known, pristine delight for wildlife and nature lovers.
Four criss-crossing rivers, the Brahmani, Baitarani, Dhamra, and Patasala, sashay through it, and their deltas carry Antara’s Catamarans and their guests into the tangled waterways of the Park. Estuarine crocodiles (the single largest population in the world) and monitor lizards bask in the dappled sunlight, the elusive jungle cat shows up unannounced, endangered turtles lay their eggs on a beach nearby, and the sounds and sightings of 8 species of kingfishers and hundreds of migratory birds set the jungle to vibration mode.
Antara’s journeys into the mangrove forests on our cozy, well-equipped Catamarans engage your senses with wild encounters, as well as interactions with local communities and cultures.
2 NIGHTS AND 3 DAYS
Amazon of the East
Sails every Thursday & Saturday
3 NIGHTS AND 4 DAYS
Cruising in Bhitarkanika
Sails every Monday
A Danish Secret: Serampore
In the 18th and 19th centuries, West Bengal was a veritable ‘little Europe’. Every European colonial trading power worth its spices had a settlement there. The Portuguese were the first, and then came the French, the Dutch, the British, and also the Danish.
The Danish trading colony was established on the banks of the Hooghly, a thriving tributary of the Ganges. It was called Serampore (an adaptation of the name Srirampur) and later Frederiksnagore, and flourished from 1755-1854. The head of the trading station, Ole Bie, built beautiful buildings and squares in the town which became home not only to Danish subjects, but other Europeans, as well as wealthy Indian merchants. Later, Serampore was bought by the British and absorbed into the British Empire.
Today, many of these colonial structures still exist, in various stages of repair. Antara takes guests on walking expeditions in the old quarters of this town to see the legendary Danish Tavern, St. Olav’s Church, and other Danish heritage monuments and immerse themselves in its fascinating history.
7 NIGHTS AND 8 DAYS
Princely Murshidabad
From December 14 to 21, 2024
(Unexplored Destinations in South Asia – Antara River Cruises)
